The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV
· 50 min
Episode The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV
Late night host Stephen Colbert has accused CBS of spiking an interview for fear of backlash from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift television to the right. Plus, the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on the networks.
[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Jim Rutenberg, writer-at-large for The New York Times, about how Trump’s FCC is reviving a nearly century-old rule to crack down on late-night talk shows. Rutenberg explains why MAGA’s embrace of the FCC’s regulatory powers to go after “liberal bias” in the media signals a shift within the Republican party.
[25:44] Brooke sits down with Daniel Suhr, the president of a legal advocacy group called the Center for American Rights and the architect behind the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on TV networks. They discuss his goal to make network TV look more like the AM radio band.
Further reading / watching:
• “How a Century-Old Rule Is Scrambling Late-Night TV,” by Jim Rutenberg • “The MAGA Plan to Take Over TV Is Just Beginning,” by Jim Rutenberg • “The FCC’s Public Notice on ‘Bona Fide News,’” by Daniel Suhr • “The end of an agency,” by Daniel Suhr • “Straight Talk on FCC 'Jawboning'” by Daniel Suhr • The Divided Dial: Episode 3 - The Liberal Bias Boogeyman
On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Links in the notes 14
- https://www.nytimes.com/by/jim-rutenberg
- https://www.americanrights.org/about
- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/business/media/colbert-equal-time-fcc-brendan-carr.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/magazine/fcc-tv-networks.html
- https://www.yalejreg.com/nc/the-fccs-public-notice-on-bona-fide-news-by-daniel-r-suhr/
- https://wng.org/opinions/the-end-of-an-agency-1768866975
- https://broadbandbreakfast.com/daniel-suhr-straight-talk-on-fcc-jawboning/
- https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/divided-dial-episode-3-
- https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm
- https://www.instagram.com/onthemedia/?hl=en
- https://bsky.app/profile/onthemedia.bsky.social
- https://www.tiktok.com/@onthemedia
- https://www.facebook.com/OnTheMedia
- https://pcm.adswizz.com
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.